Band : Circle
Album Title : Hollywood
Label : Ektro
Distributor : Clearspot
Release Date : November 2008
Review : CD

Out of all the Circle albums I own and have heard, Hollywood is probably my favorite. Fans of this Finnish weird combo simply cannot afford to be without this album. It is a masterpiece crafted by one of the most talented, intelligent, berzerk and creative bands on the scene today

Things get to a blinding start with opening track “Connection”. “Mercy and Tuesday” is another up-tempo song with similar fast drums and keyboards except during the end part where it completely slows down with a six string conversation in Deliverance-country. Things really ‘hit the lights’ with the “Earthworm” and “Sacrifice” and reminds me of Priest/Motorhead with Ritchie Blackmore on bad acid. The razor-sharp guitars of Janne and Bruce Duff are really impressive. Bruce Duff (ex-Jesters of Destiny) also lends his voice for this album and it ads another dimension to the sound and to what the band can do musically....Tomi flexes his muscles and totally breaks out his unreal drumming skills. Listen to “Madman” the album’s most dark Neu-Can kraut sounding song, and marvel at the sheer speed and power of his drums. It jives and swings, it rocks and rolls, and it rants with catchy shoot from the hip thrusting grooves. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and with the eleven minute epic “Suddenly”. This swirling, gradually building piece closes the book on the latest Circle chapter. Mika’s frantic keyboards and the backstabbing guitarsolos are simply explosive in this gloom-laden metal avant la lettre composition.

I could go on and on about this record, but suffice it to say if you're thinking there's no original bands left anymore, or no band that does something that is entirely different from what the rest of the world is doing, you need to pick up on what Circle been doing for the last 20 years or so now..

Cosmicmasseur.